Hundreds Protest in Rome After Attacks in City's Gay District

Hundreds protested near Via San Giovanni in Laterano (aka Gay Street) in Rome on Wednesday night, following a bomb attack earlier this week.

ADN Kronos reports: "There was widespread panic when two letter bombs were thrown at a bar
in a gay neighbourhood in the centre of the Italian capital Rome late
Tuesday in an escalation of anti-gay violence. Italian media reports
said the explosive devices were thrown from two motorcycles. Several people were injured in the attack, and one was taken to nearby San Giovanni Hospital for aid. 'It all happened very quickly unleashing panic in the streets.
There were people screaming and running everywhere,' said the president
of Italy's national gay rights organisation, Arcigay, Fabrizio
Marrazzo, quoted by Italian media. 'If anyone would have been closer [to the explosions], someone
would have lost their life,' Arcigay said on the organisation's website
on Wednesday."

A recent surge in violence has many concerned: "Rome Mayor Gianni Alemanno said Wednesday that the
attacks were 'extremely worrying' and promised to beef up
security in areas frequented by homosexuals. Vladimir Luxuria (above), a transgender activist and former PM,
commented that 'Rome isn't a safe city for gays' and warned
of 'a cycle of homophobic terrorism'. Monday's incident is the third case of homophobic
violence in Italy in under a week. Last week, a young man was stabbed in an attack near the
site of Rome's summer gay and lesbian festival.
Days later, a pair of tourists in Naples were beaten up
by a gang of young men.
The incidents spurred a gay musician in Rome to come
forward saying he'd been assaulted by a man shouting insults
earlier in August."

Comments

I've been to this area a couple of times - "Coming Out" is the main gay bar on San Giovanni in Laterano. Sad to see.

Posted by: Joe | Sep 3, 2009 12:20:10 PM

Ah, Italy.

Still fighting with Greece and Poland over the coveted title of "most racist and homophobic country in Europe" I see. Don't worry Italians, with Berlusconi and his cadre of fascists in charge, you're not losing your spot in the top three anytime soon.

Posted by: John | Sep 3, 2009 1:19:42 PM

Hi there, this is Fabio from Rome.
I've read your post and there is something that must be changed because it is not correct.

The Friday night torchlight marches are not connected to Arcigay in any way; the Friday night torchlight marches are a spontaneous mini pride of ordinary glbt people who do not belong to any glbt association.

Tochlight marches started August 28th when about 150 glbt friends got toghether and marched from rome gay street to capitol, then we decided to repeat the march evry friday.

We have a blog (fiaccolataglbt.wordpress.com) which is also written in english, and a facebook group (we have a dream) where you can find correct informations.

The phrase "The gay rights group Arcigay plans to hold torchlight marches every Friday night calling for stricter laws against anti-gay violence." is not true.

Weekly torchlights are a self managed and spontaneous, not against associations, but separated. People marches without no symbols but the rainbow flag, unique international colors of the whole lgbt world.